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MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
CONTROLS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF INTERN ATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
SUPPORTING CIVIL SOC IETY IN LIBYA

The Ministry of Culture and Civil Society is keen to spread and foster a culture of civil
society in light of the political, social and cultural changes in the country since the
eruption of the 17
PthP of February Revolution. The Ministry is keen to allow foreign
organizations to participate in programs related to developing civil society
organizations, building their sk ills, and increasing their knowledge. To avoid any
misunderstanding that may result from the activities of these [foreign] organizations
in Libya, the Ministry has adopted a number of organizational rules that must be
observed by these [foreign] organizations as long as they operate on Libyan
territories.

Registration Procedures:
Any foreign organization wishing to support civil society in Libya shall register with
the Foreign Organizations Registry at the Civil Society Support Center in Benghazi or
Tripoli (hereinafter referred to as the “Center”). In order to register an organization,
the following conditions shall be fulfilled:
1. The organization shall be duly registered under the laws of its country of
or igin.
2. A translation of its A rticles of Association endorsed by the Libyan Embassy or
M ission in the concerned country shall be presented.
3. A complete file containing information about its activities, areas of work ,
biographical information about its Chair man and members of its B oard of
D irectors, its contact info rmation, and its website shall be presented.
4. The organization shall submit an application stating the types of activities it
desires to pursue in Libya, its plan of work and programs, and the time period
required for completion of these programs.

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5. The origin or the headquarters of the organization shall not be located in a
country in a state of war with Libya or in a country boycotted by Libya.
6. The organization shall submit a proof of its financial and technical capacities
to implement its planned activities in Libya and shall state the sources of these
resources.
7. The organization shall undertake to implement its programs in cooperation
with at least one national organization.
8. The org anization shall submit a quarterly report to the Center about its
activities in Libya.
9. The organization shall maintain records of accounts showing its revenues and
expenditures following sound accounting principles.
10. The organization shall undertake not t o provide any cash grants to local
organizations. Any potential support [to local organizations] shall be restricted
to specific projects according to the controls set out below.

Granting of Registration Certificates:
1. The Center shall grant a R egistration Certificate for every foreign organization
fulfilling the above conditions. The C ertificate shall be valid for one year.
2. The Registration Certificate shall be granted within one month of the date of
submitting a valid registration application.

Renewal of Li cense:
The license of each organization must be renewed on an annual basis.

Exemption from Licens ing:
The United Nations and its agencies and the International Committee of the Red
Cross shall be exempted from registration requirements.

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Cancellation of R egistration:
The Center may cancel the registration of a foreign organization after conducti ng an
investigation and making one of the following findings:
• That registration was obtained by fraud, forgery or submission of incorrect
information.
• That the organization has violated Libyan law , the registration conditions, or
the commitments of the organization; or in case of attempting to carry out
activities that jeopardize national sovereignty or security or provoking discord
among Libyans.
• The failure of the concerned organization, without acceptable justifications, to
implement its plan of activities for one full year.

Any foreign organization whose registration is cancelled may appeal to the Minister
of Culture and Civil Society within thirty days of the date of issuance of the
cancellation resolution. If the Ministry does not reply to the appeal within one month
or if the appeal is rejected, the organization may appeal the decision before a
c ompetent court .

Permitted Activities:
After completion of registration procedures, i nternational organizations are allowed
to practice the activities licensed to them upon registration. They shall have freedom
of movement and may conduct meetings with local organizations and cooperate
with them to provide training, technical advice, and implement joint activities and
projects in line with the activities of the local organizations and to enhance the
culture of civil society consistent with applicable laws.

Controls for S upport:
1. The recipient national organization shall be registered with the Center.
2. The support program and budget s hall be submitted to the Center.

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3. The support program shall be advertised for three days in newspapers to be
defined by the Center.

Date of Effec tiveness:
These controls are effective as of June 1, 2010.

Ministry of Culture and Civil Society